Very happy to see Basabe getting after it

EddyP

EddyP

Well-Known Member
Makes a HUGE difference. I have been critical of him this season as most have but he is balling now. Defensively in particular. Fran said it best(as usual), when he is blocking shots he effects the game. And he does. Even when he doesn't block their shot they are thinking about it coming into the lane. Great to see. He was having fun tonight too as was the rest of the team. Thankfully D-Marbs(the 2 shot not the one and one);) and Matty Fresh made their free throws.
 


Yes, I am very happy for Basabe. He finally looks like he is enjoying himself and just doing his thing out there. Even the players on the bench are completely pumped up during the past 2 games and having a good time.

Props to Fran for changing the culture to something positive again. It is really starting to pay off! Hopefully we can keep this streak going! (Don't worry, I knocked on wood).
 






Sorry for the re-post, but this pic is incredible and speaks volumes

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He's doing what he needs to do to help the team. He's been intense and getting after it. That's what has been missing all year. And I believe Mr. Gatens is having an effect on the entire team in that regard.
 




EddyP said:
Makes a HUGE difference. I have been critical of him this season as most have but he is balling now. Defensively in particular. Fran said it best(as usual), when he is blocking shots he effects the game. And he does. Even when he doesn't block their shot they are thinking about it coming into the lane. Great to see. He was having fun tonight too as was the rest of the team. Thankfully D-Marbs(the 2 shot not the one and one);) and Matty Fresh made their free throws.
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i`m so pumped!
 


storminspank said:
After that breakout dunk, the smile on his face was bigger than I have ever seen it.

Awesome sight.
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Saw that and it was awesome! He was begging for that ball all the way down the court. I thought Marble was going to take it all the way (and I think either of them could have finished it off). But after his dunk Mel looked like a kid who got to open a present the night before Christmas. It was great. And props to Marble for the unselfish play.
 






He was a force defensively under the basket. Even the shots he did not block they were altering them to keep him from blocking them, many times resulting in missed short FG attempts. I was also really pleased with the effort of Basabe and White rebounding. They both were extremely active without getting into foul trouble.
 


If he begins to play as well as he did last year, with Marble playing like he is, red playing like he has been playing, and of course Gatens continuing to play as he is, Iowa could very well win the rest of its conference games and maybe even one or two in the tournament.
 


I'm just glad Mel has finally been able to shed that extra weight that was holding him back.

OK, that was just a poke at a couple of my friends around here. I am really thrilled to see that Mel has gotten his mojo back.
 




sioux34 said:
I'm just glad Mel has finally been able to shed that extra weight that was holding him back.

OK, that was just a poke at a couple of my friends around here. I am really thrilled to see that Mel has gotten his mojo back.
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More of a poke at Fran who continues to maintain that hindered Melsahn,but of course we know Fran would never be honest:)
 


We are starting to see what we have been missing and other teams have....someone down low who can block / affect shots. As others have stated, once you get swatted, you become conscious of it then next time.

Basabe also deserves props for staying down on ball fakes. Earlier in the year all it took was a good ball fake and he was jumping up in the air drawing bad fouls. Evans must have pump faked 3-4 times on one possession and Basabe held his ground with a hand in his face. He really has a knack for timing shots and is showing off those hops we saw last season.
 


JHHawk said:
More of a poke at Fran who continues to maintain that hindered Melsahn,but of course we know Fran would never be honest:)
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Fran constructed this red hearing to deflect negative attention from Mel. If you can't see that, you are blind.
 




sioux34 said:
Fran constructed this red hearing to deflect negative attention from Mel. If you can't see that, you are blind.
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I could see some rationale for the ''red hearing/herring'' argument if it was not for the fact that Mel did actually gain weight,play bad,then lose weight and play better. Sometimes it is what is seems.

Fran addressed it recently,saying that they will keep Mel at 220lbs this offseason,while seeking to get Aaron White up another 5-6 lbs to 234.
Sophmore slump in the offing for Aaron with the added weight?

Only the scale really knows the truth,but I am going to take Fran at his word.
 


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